Uncontrolled fires destroy trees worth billions and threaten wildlife

By Tererai Karimakwenda
20 September 2005

The state newspaper the Herald reports that trees worth more than Z$700 billion have been destroyed by uncontrolled fires that hit forests in Chimanimani and other areas countrywide in the last three weeks.

Rhodes Nyanga National Park is reported to be virtually bare of vegetation following the raging fires, and intermittent fire outbreaks are feared to be threatening the lives of at least 1 000 wildebeests in the park. Rhodes Nyanga is home to Zimbabwe’s largest population of wildebeests. The fires have so far destroyed about 1 623 hectares of timber owned by Border Timbers and 200 hectares of timber belonging to the Forestry Company of Zimbabwe.

Buried somewhere within this Herald story is a very disturbing revelation. It says “Whole forests have been burnt down by hunters lighting fires to smoke and ferret edible wild animals and rodents like mice out of their lairs and holes.” In other words desperately hungry people have deliberately started fires in order to force small animals and rodents out into plain sight so they could kill them for food.

The report says extensive tracts of forest, grassland, wildlife and other natural resources have been destroyed. Some people are reported to have been injured and others even killed after being caught up in the fires or attempting to prevent the destruction of their property.

The Environment and Tourism Ministry acting secretary Dr Alfred Ncube said an approach involving local communities had worked in the past and was the effective solution to prevent the haphazard lighting and spreading of wild fires. Ncube believes we should strengthen this concept.
The real solution is to end the desperation in Zimbabwe by holding democratic elections, getting rid of all the draconian laws and restoring the rule of law. Until that happens the country will remain on fire, literally and figuratively.